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Senior Selected Out of Hundreds for Walt Disney Company Internship

HIGH POINT, N.C., July 7, 2017 – High Point University rising senior Michaela O’Connor dreamed of becoming part of Disney’s magic since she was a child, and that dream has come true. She is one of only two individuals selected from hundreds of applicants for a sales professional internship with Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings.

O’Connor, a communication major from Manchester, Connecticut, started her position in June and will be working at the Disney Parks and Resorts corporate offices as well as Franck’s Wedding Studio at Walt Disney World until January 2018.

The internship involves O’Connor in a wide variety of activities, including assisting guests with wedding information, preparing communications and event concepts, and working closely with operations such as the bakery, horticulture, floral and audio/visual. Her goal is to create the best experiences for guests when they visit Franck’s, which is Disney’s wedding studio, and she is fully immersed in the Walt Disney Company corporate culture.

Confidence and professional skills she’s developed at HPU have helped her stand out in the competitive application process and thrive in a professional setting.

“Because the environment at High Point University teaches so much more than what you learn in the classroom, I feel completely comfortable and prepared to work for such a respected company,” O’Connor says. “From etiquette, to networking, to how to dress professionally, HPU has shaped me to be a well rounded professional, and I am able to put these skills to use every day.”

She is thankful for HPU’s Office of Career and Professional Development for helping guide her toward her major and career path and for connecting her with professors who could provide insight to turn her passions for relationship development and branding into a career.

She also credits Assistant Professor Randy Moser, who teaches sales and marketing courses at HPU, with pushing her to apply for an internship in sales and says she uses what she learned in his class every day.

“Professor Moser taught me that sales is so much more than cold calling clients. It’s about building relationships and working to meet the needs of clients,” O’Connor says. “Taking his course is one of the main reasons I applied for this internship. Throughout the process, he supported me every step of the way by providing interview tips, checking in on how the process was going, and congratulating me when I was offered the position.”

O’Connor says she has dedicated everything to this opportunity because it is truly her dream internship.

“I am so lucky to be able to start my career doing something I am passionate about with a company I have admired my entire life,” she says. “I believe that life is about taking chances and going after your dreams, whether they be personal or professional. As my favorite role model, Walt Disney, once said, ‘All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.’”